Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga)
Longtail Red Snapper (Onaga)
Etelis coruscans
Quick Facts
Onaga (longtail snapper or flame snapper, Etelis coruscans) can be found in the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Archipelago, and are one of the species that make up "Hawaiʻi’s Deep 7." Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Onaga (longtail snapper or flame snapper, Etelis coruscans) can be found in the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Archipelago, and are one of the species that make up "Hawaiʻi’s Deep 7." Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
About the Species
Onaga is a species of snapper found throughout the tropical Pacific Ocean, including American Samoa, Guam, Hawaiʻi, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Pacific Remote Islands Area. They are caught at depths from 250 to 1,000 feet.
Onaga is a popular and important species for the fishing industry in and around the Pacific Islands region. It is caught most often during fall and winter months and is highly prized for its delicate flavor and sashimi-grade texture. Their demand increases during December/January when red-colored fish are sought for cultural and ceremonial occasions.
Population
Four stock complexes that include onaga are not overfished and two stock complexes that include onaga have an unknown overfished status.
Fishing Rate
Not subject to overfishing for the four stocks/complexes with active fisheries. The overfishing status is unknown for the remaining two stock complexes with no active fisheries for onaga.
Habitat Impact
Bottomfish fishing operations, typically using weighted lines and baited hooks, do not have adverse impacts to the habitat.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Population Status
There are six stocks of onaga in different island areas across the region. Management for each is tailored to the fisheries and available data in each place. There are no active fisheries in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands nor Pacific Remote Islands Area, so there isn’t data to assess the stocks, but they are believed to be healthy because there is no fishing. Onaga are grouped with several other species and evaluated as stock complexes in most areas due to the mixed species nature of the fisheries. The following statuses are based on the most recent stock assessments:
American Samoa: Onaga is assessed as the indicator species for the American Samoa Flame Snapper and Ruby Snapper Complex (there was insufficient catch data to assess ruby snapper). The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2023 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: American Samoa Flame Snapper.
Guam: Onaga is assessed as part of the 13-species Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex. The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2024 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Onaga is assessed as part of the 13-species CNMI Bottomfish Multi-species Complex. This stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2019 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Northern Mariana Islands Bottomfish Multi-species Complex.
Hawaiʻi: Onaga is assessed as part of the 7-species Main Hawaiʻian Island Deep 7 Bottomfish Multi-Species Complex. The stock complex is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing (2024 stock assessment). Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART: Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Multi-species Complex.
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: Onaga is assessed as part of the 8-species Northwestern Hawaiʻian Islands Bottomfish Multi-Species Complex. The stock complex has an unknown overfished and overfishing status. This stock complex occurs within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument where commercial fishing is prohibited and very limited non-commercial fishing occurs.
Pacific Remote Islands Areas: Onaga is assessed as part of the 12-species PRIA Bottomfish Complex. The stock complex has an unknown overfished and overfishing status. This stock complex occurs within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument where commercial fishing is prohibited and very limited non-commercial fishing occurs.
Appearance
The back and upper sides of longtail red snapper fish are deep pink to red and lower sides and belly are pink to white. They have relatively small teeth and proportionally large, red eyes. Their distinctive caudal fins end in long, slender points, and the upper caudal fin lobe is greatly elongated, especially in adults. The tips of the caudal tail may be black or red but not white.
Biology
Spawning occurs between September through December in the Hawaiian Islands and female size at maturity is around 25 inches. Large fish reach more than 30 pounds and 3.3 feet long. Maximum age is estimated to be more than 50 years old.
Onaga are primarily piscivorous so they feed on other fish. Other important prey for onaga include pelagic urochordates, such as salps, and pelagic crustaceans.
Where They Live
Range
Longtail red snapper occur in tropical and subtropical waters and are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Habitat
They inhabit hard ocean bottoms at depths from 300 to 1,000 feet.
Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States.
Managed under the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for American Samoa, the Hawaiʻi Archipelago, the Mariana Archipelago, and the Pacific Remote Islands Area.
- Onaga is managed as part of multispecies stock complexes under these four ecosystem plans. There are annual catch limits in place for the stock complexes.
- Onaga are managed through a combination of federal and local oversight. Commercial fishermen are required to have permits to fish and report their catch to NOAA fisheries or the state or territory.
- Recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Hawaiʻi bottomfish are required to have permits and record their catch. There are no permit or reporting requirements for recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands bottomfish, but there are prohibited gear types and harvest techniques. Non-commercial fishing is prohibited within 12 nautical miles of emergent land within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, unless authorized by a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Gear restrictions and operational requirements are in place to minimize bycatch and potential gear conflicts among different fisheries.
- A rebuilding plan was implemented in 2022 with the goal of rebuilding the Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex, of which flame snapper is a member, by 2031. The stock is no longer overfished and is making progress toward rebuilding.
Harvest
Fishery Information
Onaga are highly prized for their quality texture and delicate taste. Commercial, recreational, and non-commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands encompass fishing communities, habitats, and fishing practices spread over a vast area of nearly 1.5 million square miles of federal waters.
Non-commercial fishing includes sustenance, subsistence, traditional indigenous, and recreational fishing. Non-commercial fisheries in the Pacific Islands are major economic contributors to coastal communities, are socially and culturally significant, and marine resources are regularly harvested for non-profit distribution within fishing communities and portions of the catch often are sold to defray expenses.
In 2023, commercial landings in Hawaiʻi totaled about 15,000 pounds of onaga (red snapper, longtailed) and were valued around $140,000, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
In 2023, recreational anglers in Hawaiʻi landed approximately 35,000 pounds of onaga, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
Gear Types, Habitat Impacts, and Bycatch
Onaga are caught using a vertical line that has multiple branch lines with baited hooks near the end, and a terminal weight. A light or chum bag with chopped squid or fish is often suspended as bait above the highest hook. Gear is deployed with electric reels in waters 250 feet to 1,000 feet. There is typically little bycatch in this type of targeted fishery.
Scientific Classification
Longtail red snapper occur in tropical and subtropical waters and are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
They inhabit hard ocean bottoms at depths from 300 to 1,000 feet.
Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council manage onaga in the United States.
Managed under the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for American Samoa, the Hawaiʻi Archipelago, the Mariana Archipelago, and the Pacific Remote Islands Area.
- Onaga is managed as part of multispecies stock complexes under these four ecosystem plans. There are annual catch limits in place for the stock complexes.
- Onaga are managed through a combination of federal and local oversight. Commercial fishermen are required to have permits to fish and report their catch to NOAA fisheries or the state or territory.
- Recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Hawaiʻi bottomfish are required to have permits and record their catch. There are no permit or reporting requirements for recreational fishermen fishing in federal waters for Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands bottomfish, but there are prohibited gear types and harvest techniques. Non-commercial fishing is prohibited within 12 nautical miles of emergent land within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, unless authorized by a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Gear restrictions and operational requirements are in place to minimize bycatch and potential gear conflicts among different fisheries.
- A rebuilding plan was implemented in 2022 with the goal of rebuilding the Guam Bottomfish Multi-species Complex, of which flame snapper is a member, by 2031. The stock is no longer overfished and is making progress toward rebuilding.
Harvest
Fishery Information
Onaga are highly prized for their quality texture and delicate taste. Commercial, recreational, and non-commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands encompass fishing communities, habitats, and fishing practices spread over a vast area of nearly 1.5 million square miles of federal waters.
Non-commercial fishing includes sustenance, subsistence, traditional indigenous, and recreational fishing. Non-commercial fisheries in the Pacific Islands are major economic contributors to coastal communities, are socially and culturally significant, and marine resources are regularly harvested for non-profit distribution within fishing communities and portions of the catch often are sold to defray expenses.
In 2023, commercial landings in Hawaiʻi totaled about 15,000 pounds of onaga (red snapper, longtailed) and were valued around $140,000, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
In 2023, recreational anglers in Hawaiʻi landed approximately 35,000 pounds of onaga, according to the NOAA Fisheries recreational fishing landings database.
Gear Types, Habitat Impacts, and Bycatch
Onaga are caught using a vertical line that has multiple branch lines with baited hooks near the end, and a terminal weight. A light or chum bag with chopped squid or fish is often suspended as bait above the highest hook. Gear is deployed with electric reels in waters 250 feet to 1,000 feet. There is typically little bycatch in this type of targeted fishery.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Actinopterygii | Order | Perciformes | Family | Lutjanidae | Genus | Etelis | Species | coruscans |
|---|
Featured News
Field response efforts for endangered marine life, such as the Hawaiian monk seal, are among the activities NOAA Fisheries funded in 2024. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
A local cooperative research fisherman holds an onaga caught during the annual Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey. Credit: Pacific Islands Fisheries Group
The 2023 Hawaiʻi Bottomfish Survey Harnesses Community Power for Sustainable Fisheries
Onaga (longtail snapper or flame snapper, Etelis coruscans) can be found in the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Archipelago, and are one of the species that make up "Hawaiʻi’s Deep 7." Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette conducts deepwater camera deployments south of the west Maui mountains in support of the Fall 2022 BFISH survey. Credit: Ben Richards, NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette Returns to the Annual Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaiʻi
Related Species
Seafood Facts
Is Longtail Red Snapper Sustainable?
U.S. wild-caught longtail red snapper is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Availability
Year-round.
Source
U.S -wild caught around Hawaiʻi and Pacific Islands Region territories.
Taste
Onaga has a delicate flavor and is highly prized for its taste, texture, and appearance.
Texture
Onaga has a firm texture and can be prepared in a variety of ways from steaming smaller-sized fish to filets for sashimi.
Color
Onaga has a clear, light pink flesh.
Health Benefits
Onaga is a great source of lean, healthy protein and rich in vitamins.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 100; Protein: 20.5 g; Total Fat: 1.34 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.285 g; Carbohydrate: 0 g; Total Sugars: 0 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Cholesterol: 37 mg; Selenium: 38.2 mcg; Sodium: 64 mgSnapper Recipes
Looking for ways to add white fish like snapper into your rotation? If you need cooking inspiration, browse these recipes for sautéed snapper, seafood stew, and more!
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Science Overview
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is responsible for conducting stock assessments of the bottomfish management unit species, including onaga. These assessments are used to determine stock status from which the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council recommends annual fishery catch limits. In the Pacific Islands Region, NOAA researchers monitor the catch of bottomfish through commercial catch reports, creel surveys, life history surveys, and collaborating with local fishermen as part of the Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey. These annual surveys have been done operationally in Hawaiʻi for several years to assess the numbers and sizes of bottomfish around the main Hawaiian Islands and provide biological samples for life history research. NOAA Fisheries is working to expand these surveys to other areas. The science center has continually strived to improve data used in stock assessments and is working toward a single-species assessment for species where adequate data is available.
Our research of the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish group
